May 31, 1957

A Face in the Crowd, a 1957 movie drama based on the short story, “Your Arkansas Traveler,” written by Budd Schulberg, had its premiere in Piggott (Clay County), the town where it was filmed. Concerning a fictional Arkansas native, its opening scenes were set in northeast Arkansas and it used using local residents as extras. The film marked the screen debut of Andy Griffith and Lee Remick, along with being Walter Matthau and Tony Franciosa’s first major roles.